Lubbock Police Warn Against Distracted Driving

Distracted driving is a huge problem in the HubCity said Sergeant Jason Lewis with the Lubbock Police Department .

“Distracted driving is becoming a huge epidemic,” Lewis said.

In 2012 Lubbock had more than 7,800 traffic accidents-23 ended in fatalities.

“I don’t think Lubbock is any different from anywhere else,” Lewis said. “I think generally speaking it is the biggest problem with teens. I think half of teens do text while they are driving.”

Sergeant Lewis is right.

Nearly 50% of all teenagers admit to texting and driving.

A new study shows eight teenagers die in the U.S. each day because of distracted driving.

While the emphasis is on teens, Sergeant Lewis said they are not the only ones guilty.

“This is everybody,” Lewis said. “And the reason I say teens is because they are more prone to today’s technology and they use technology more than anyone else at this point in time.”

Texting is not the only thing distracting drivers.

Sergeant Lewis said they have found people on their GPS and even reading.

“It can range from messing with your stereo, to putting on makeup, to texting,” Lewis said.

With the holiday season coming up Sergeant Lewis wants drivers to pay extra close attention.

“It’s the holiday season you are going to get lots of family in town, kids are out of school you are going to see lots of different things.” Lewis said. “Basically that combination of all those factors leads to people’s lives being ruined during the happy season.”

Some things you can do to keep your attention on the road:

Turn off your cell phone and put it in the back seat.

If you need to grab something or change the radio do it while at a stop sign or light.

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